The road less taken

Writers love the analogy of a path and a journey.  Everything in life, right down to life itself is a new experience that we live one step at a time, just like traveling down a new path.  But, as per any path, there are dips and turns that require us to decide which way to move next.

Robert Frost, in the infamous poem, The Road Not Taken said:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Of course, Robert's comments assume that 1) you have a destination in mind (know where you want to get to ) and  2) The unknown is more rewarding then the path of least resistance.

To that end, building a business is the ultimate journey.  A lot of people have businesses and even more people  have tried to start businesses, but as most people will tell you, most businesses fail, and fail early.  Bloomberg Business cites that 8 out of 10 small businesses crash and burn within the first 18 months.  With that kind of track record, why would anyone start a new business?  I think Robert Frost would suggest, that finding the less travelled path (the one that 2 out of 10 took) may be the way to go - if you want to have any lasting impact.

Sales guru, MJ Durkin would argue that just choosing the path is not enough however. Being creative and different is not enough to be successful.  You also need persistence.  I guarantee that the path that the 20% are on is not littered with wayfinding signs, daisies, and pit stops to replenish your food and water supply.  It's a hard, rocky road with sharp rocks and dangerous animals. But somehow, you do have to stay the course.

I had a rough week last week.  I made my calls.  I scheduled my appointments.  I hosted awesome Open House events.  And still, my results were not what I wanted.  So, I complained.  I whined about how "I am so great", and "this isn't working", and "why aren't I successful yet?"  And then I listened to MJ talk about moving in the direction of your desires.  My little tantrum was not a scheduled stop on my path.  And my stopping to complain about where I was, was the equivalent of saying I want to travel from Connecticut to California and then being  upset 9 miles into the drive that I was only in Pennsylvania. And in the end, that pit stop, did not get me any closer to my destination.

Yes, choosing the path is a big step.  But staying the course and remembering that you are on a journey is the lesson that is often easily forgotten.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  And no one expected it to be.  So why would I put that kind of pressure on my own business development?

Day 15s reason my business is awesome: Trailblazing day after day after day . . .

Evidence of things not seen

I had a conversation with a friend of mine last week around the topic of religion.  Specifically we were speaking about the distinction between begin religious and being spiritual.  I am a bit of a literalist when it comes to this topic as I see a religious habit as one that is done repeatedly, without thought to greater impact (a without fail mentality). This could apply to attendance at church or temple, a type of prayer performed by rote or any element of the ritualistic that tends to accompany some religious practices.  Spirituality however, has more to do with the connection with the soul, inner self, consciousness (whatever you call it) and that of the larger/greater Universe, God (whomever you call it).  

For many, it is far more attractive to be considered a spiritual person that it is to be regarded as religious.  Religion carries all of the negative connotations of war, zealots, fanaticism, antagonistic and at times terroristic activities.

Spirituality, however bears the badge of honor as the all accepting, welcoming piece of the world that we all possess and can tap into.  Spirituality is friendly.  It's faith without all the rules and regulations.  Everyone likes that.

In my journey to become a better salesperson, leader, entrepreneur, I have had more than one encounter where I have been told that what is required is that I become a modern philosopher.  People who succeed in my business are on the top of their game - exuding their best self all of the time.  Always positive, never doubtful, and most importantly they are supercharged with an overabundance of faith.  These people are business rock stars because they have worked so hard on their spiritual well being.  To be centered is to be balanced, happy calm - to know that even though you can't see the end that it is there, to know that even though you don't know how, a way will present itself.  It's calm under pressure, it's an inner peace and confidence in self that you can't imitate.

Some would confuse good businesspeople as being soulless, without faith. But attendance to the religious is not the same as faith.   Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith is believing God loves you whether you go to Church or not.  A good businessperson has the most faith of all - for they believe in a way, a product, a service that will change the world - and believe in it so much, that they would risk their entire livelihood on that belief.  That's faith.  That's Immanuel Kant's double jump: believing even when rationale says you should not.

I can exercise my prospecting muscle, my presentation muscles, beef up my sales skills.  But the mark of the great is their undeniable and unwavering faith in themselves, their mission and their vision.

Day 14s reason my business is awesome: Only the faithful survive.